I'm Better Than Liquor

Monica walked into the room, her head down low as she moved straight to the bar. She slid into the stool and looked up, wanting to get the bartender. It had been a horrible horrible day and right now, the best way to cope was with a drink...or ten drinks. There were so many things that she wanted to do, she wanted to scream, to cry, to get revenge, to tear him apart. Though all of that was drowned under Monica's need to get so wasted that she forgot everything. Fuck, Monica wanted to wake up having forgotten her fucking name.

After a moment, Monica motioned to the bartender, raising two fingers up. "Can I please get a shot of whatever and a double Hawaiian Cocktail?"

Alexander couldn't help the smirk that broke out on his features as he watched Monica more or less make a beeline for the bar. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as he started to approach her. "What will it be?" He asked, nodding as she placed her order. "Whatever? That's a bit of a stretch. I could go just about anywhere with 'whatever'," he teased as he mixed ehr hawaiian cocktail. He pushed it across the bar so that it sat in front of her before readying a sex on the beach shot. He didn't typically make fancy shots but the girl seemed to need one and he figured since she'd ordered a hawaiian cocktail, she'd like the shot he placed in front of her. He wouldn't quite consider her a regular but he'd seen her around enough that he was getting an idea of her tastes.

He leaned against the bar, a slight frown growing on his features. "What's troublin' you? You don't normally come alone," Alexander commented.

@ castle.

Once he passed the shot to her, Monica was quick to take it before sliding the empty glass back to him. "I will take another." She had liked it but Monica wasn't very concerned with what she liked at the moment. Instead her thoughts were swarming things that she didn't like. Monica leaned against the bar, taking her cocktail and taking a sip of it. Her eyes lifted up the bartender started to speak to her. She was a little surprised that he knew that, though Monica suppose she had come often enough for him to recognize her. And he was right about that, Monica never came alone. She took another deep sip before letting out a little sigh. She didn't really want to lay it all on for this bartender who really didn't deserve it hear her tale of woe. Though he did ask and Monica would tell him a thing or two...

"Boys." Monica told him honestly, anger coming through in her voice. "Or rather a very specific boy who I hope gets hit by a car tonight." She ran a hand through her hair as she could feel her chest getting hard. Just speaking about him, even like that, made her want to start bawling her eyes out. To control herself, Monica took a deep breath and took another deep sip of her glass. Damn she really needed to get fucked up, she didn't want to feel this way.

Alexander let out a low whistle when Monica explained, at least a bit about what had managed to put her in such a sour mood. He looked away, nodding his head slowly. "Fair enough. Fair enough," he agreed, bracing himself against the bar. Her story matched one he had heard before and would likely hear tomorrow... and the day after. It was uncommon for him to get through a shift where a cheating spouse was mentioned at least once.

Clearing his throat, Alex poured her another shot before sliding it across the bar to her. "Here," he offered a tight lipped smile, straightening a bit. "Why don't you order some food? If you're planning on sticking around for the long haul today, you need to eat so you don't bow out too early," Alexander teased, offering a menu out to her. "And then I can make you another drink. How's that sound?"

@ castle.

Monica looked up at the man and gave him a little bit of a thankful smile. Well, it couldn't hurt to have something to eat. And he was right, while she did want to get black out drunk, Monica didn't really want to go home too early...Plus she certainly did not want to end up getting sick because she didn't have dinner. "Thank you." She said, taking the second shot quickly before turning her eyes down to the menu.

It was not very often that she actually had a meal here. Normally a basket of fries or something similar but that was about it. But if she was going to stay here for the night - and Monica definitely did want to hide out here - she was going to need a full meal. She glanced over the menu but found it rather difficult to concentrate on the menu. Closing it, she turned back to the bartender. "Just get me your favorite greasy meal here and I'll eat it."

Alexander raised an eyebrow when Monica decided she wanted his favourite meal. That was an easy choice for him. There was a bacon cheeseburger that had mozzarella sticks on top of it. And of course the classic fries on the side. It wasn't a five star gourmet meal by any means but it was damn well what you wanted during a night of drinking. Alexander was an expert, after all. He gave her a nod, moving over to the till to put in her order.

He was relieved that it was actually a slower night because he was able to return to Monica after making a few more cocktails for another table. "So, you wanna talk about it or you just want to drink?" He asked, sliding her another shot that she hadn't actually ordered. Alexander had a feeling she wasn't about to complain any time soon, given the circumstances.

@ castle.

As the next shot slid her way, Monica caught it in her hand and was quick to drink it down. She then slid the empty glass back to the bartender before leaning into the bar and letting out a sigh. Her eyes lifted up as she looked at him. On one hand, it would be amazing to just spill out the truth but should she? And did this poor bartender really want to hear all of her complaining? About the agony that she was currently going through? How her heart was getting ripped into a thousand pieces?

A sigh left her lips as Monica nodded. "Yeah..." She let out a little gasp before leaning down and rubbing her face in her hands. "My boyfriend is... well... fucking some other girl." Monica said, a little growl leaving her with the last few words.

Alexander had heard just about every story under the sun, he was almost positive that there was nothing that Monica could say to him or tell him that he hadn't heard before. Maybe a new version but it would be the same old story. Maybe she failed her finals in school or she was cheated on or... his face scrunched as he considered what could possibly have her so worked up.

His face fell as he hung his head, giving a small nod of his head. "I'm sorry about that," Alexander apologized, having been in the same situation a few weeks ago. He could only imagine how hard it was for her at the moment, how raw the wound still was. "Not all guys are that fuckin' horrible though," he said, giving a one sided shrug. "If you're a piece of shit, then you're a piece of shit," he said, letting out a sigh as he settled against the back of the bar.

"Did you break up with him?" Alexander prompted him, figuring it couldn't really hurt. She seemed to want to talk about it though and it was dead so the conversation certainly couldn't hurt.

@ castle.

With that question, Monica took her drink and finished it before motioning for another. She could feel her head growing blurry but it was not anywhere close to where she wanted to be yet. Oh it would take a while until Monica was in that kind of state...

"He doesn't even know... know that I...that I know yet." She told him honestly, stumbling over her words as she spoke. Monica lifted her head up and looked into Alexander's eyes. True pain swimming in them. "I-I couldn't face him. He fucked up. He shoved his cock into some other girl and I'm the one who couldn't face him. How messed up is that?"

The woman shook her head before dropping them in her arms and rubbing her face. "I can't get it out of my goddamn head." Her fingers wrapped around her hair a bit and started to pull. "Like I-I can't stop wondering. Why? Why? Why would someone do that? I-is it me? Something about her that was so god damn fucking irresistible? Or am I just dating the scum of the earth?"

Alexander's frown only seemed to deepen when Monica explained that her boyfriend didn't even know that she knew. He exhaled slowly, knowing full well that he couldn't go on a full rant but he couldn't at least say something to make her feel better. Right? He shrugged slightly, mulling over his thoughts as he eyed the heart broken woman in front of him.

"Because. He failed. He hurt you - and you trusted him. No one wants to confront someone or something that hurt them. No one at all. Why would they? It's uncomfortable and you often learn that what you thought of a person is just completely wrong. And then you feel bad and judge yourself. Right?" Alexander said, trying to reason with her. He knew she was hurt, upset, and he knew that reasoning with her was likely pointless but it felt wrong not to at least try.

"You were dating scum, sweetheart. That's not your fault," Alexander said, shifting to lean against the counter directly in front of her now. "Just means it wasn't meant to be. I know it's cliche but there are real men out there. Real men that will cook you breakfast, bring it to you in bed, and think you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen as you're half asleep, eating the food he's just made. And he'll tell you that."

Alexander gave a lopsided grin, "even if you don't think so right now. I swear it."

@ castle.

Monica shifted uncomfortably in her chair as the bartender tried to reason with her. All of it felt pretty point on, and her heart broke harder as he spoke. What he said made perfect sense but that didn't make it hurt any less. Though at least she didn't have to sit there anymore and wonder why she couldn't face him, and why Monica felt so entirely shitty about this situation. She ran her hands up and down her legs as she looked down at the counter for a moment before taking the drink in front of her and downing it.

"Well that may be so but everyone can fuck off at the moment. Fuck him, fuck her, fuck men and everyone else can fuck off too." Monica said before looking up at him and her face lightened up again. "Except for you, you can stay right here." It was true that Monica was in a terrible mood but she wasn't about to be rude to the only person who was at least kinda making this easier.

Dropping her face into her hands, she left out a sigh and rubbed her face hard. Her head was getting all fuzzy now and it kinda felt like she was just wading through the world around her. Monica was drunk. "It's not fair. I didn't know he was scum. How could I have known that? A-And now I feel like he's broken me and he is probably perfectly fine right now, fucking that other girl cause I didn't come home. I want him gone, I want him out of my life and I want him to feel 100 times worse than how I feel right now. If he's scum why does he get to be happy and I'm the miserable one?" Monica wiped a few tears from her eyes before pushing her shot glass to him, wanting another.

Alexander had to bite back a bout of laughter when Monica told him everyone could fuck off, right up until it came to him. It wasn't the first time that he had been welcomed into an exclusive group of friends for someone who was in an awful mood. He gave her a half smile instead, a wave of sympathy washing over him. He wished that he could make her feel even just a bit better because it was obvious that she was hurting but there wasn't a single damn thing that he could do. It sucked to watch someone be in so much pain but that also fueled his job. It more or less went hand in hand.

"Because. Scum don't think about how they're going to affect other people or their feelings," Alexander pointed out as he poured Monica yet another shot. He slid it across to her before turning, heading into the kitchen to grab the food that had just finished for her. He thought it was probably best to get some food in her.

Settling the plate of food down in front of Monica, Alexander slid away to tend to another customer at the end of the bar before returning to her. "Scum are selfish, darlin'. There's nothing more to say - it's horrible and sometimes it's not enough to ease the pain but it's the truth. It's all that can really be said. Some people.." Alexander trailed off, grimacing as he shrugged his shoulders. He wished there was more than he could say but he didn't feel like there was a single damn thing that he could say to really make any sort of difference.

@ castle.
Monica took the shot that he gave to her before starting to pick apart her food a bit. If she was honest, she wasn't particularly hungry. Nothing about the food seemed appetizing to her Though it was in front of her and she was going to pay for it. So, Monica picked up a french fry and slowly started to eat the one. As she did so, she glanced around the bar, seeing the others there, laughing it up and drinking with friends... It only made Monica feel more lonely. 

The woman let out a sigh before picking up another fry and glancing up at the bartender. Her eyes were completely glazed over now and it was clear that Monica was quite intoxicated. And the worst part was, she hadn't even gotten up yet so everything was still sitting in her body. The moment she moved, it was going to be an absolute shit show. "I hate him," Monica said. "I hate him and I hope that fucker gets run over by a semi truck." 

Slowly, the woman brought her head down against the bar and let out a small sigh. The room was spinning at this point and her head was completely cloudy. Monica held onto the bar for a moment before lifting her head back up and pushing her glass out again. "Another plleeeaasseee."

Alexander tilted his head to the side, simply observing as Monica looked around the room. He could practically read her mind, it wasn't hard. He had been there where she was now, he had seen his fair share of people where she was. It was always heartbreaking because the person in front of him was broken because someone else had decided to be selfish. And it wasn't fair. But had life ever really been fair? Alex didn't think so.

Giving a small nod of his head, Alex turned to grab her another drink. Instead this time, Alex mixed her drink with water. He knew she was spiraling and he didn't want her to do something that she would end up regretting. "Why don't you keep eating, hm? And after you're done, we'll see if you need anything else," Alex offered, nodding toward the plate of food in front of her as he set her glass down. "Else I'll have to cut you off," he said, not wanting to break it to her but he still had nearly an hour left of his shift, he couldn't let her leave on her own and he certainly couldn't keep serving her. Especially if she didn't get some food into her system.

"That is not very fair." A slight pout moved over Monica's face before she gave him a reluctant nod. She didn't really want to eat her food. What she wanted was to drink more but it seemed that the bartender was going to stop her from that goal unless she ate the food in front of her. So, the woman sat up a bit straighter and started to eat the burger.

After a while, Monica had managed to finish half of her food and finished the drink that he had given her. Though, she was so wasted that the woman did not realize that there was no liquor in there to begin with. At this point, the woman was swaying pretty hard and it was rather surprised she had not fallen off her chair yet. "Another now." She mumbled as she pushed her glass over to him. 

@ castle.

@ castle.

Alex was relieved when Monica agreed to his offer, eyeing her warily as she began to eat the meal sitting in front of her. She was drunker than he had seen her in a very long time, recognizing her from all the visits she'd made to the bar over his time here. He smiled slightly when she actually took a decent sized bite. He turned to tend to other patrons, more than relieved that Monica seemed to be willing to eat. He knew how hard it was to convince a drunk person to do something if they were fully against it.

When he finished off his shift, Alex walked over to stand in front of Monica. He gave her a sad sort of smile as he gave a shake of his head. "No," he started, turning to head around the bar. He came to stand in front of her. "Let's get you home, hm?" Alex murmured, tilting his head to the side. He held his hand out to her, motioning with his chin toward the front door. "Think it's time for you to rest."

@ castle.

Monica's demeanor changed quicky as the man mentioned bringing her home. She leaned away from him, this time sliding out of her chair but managing to catch herself against the bar before she hit the ground. Though once her feet were firmly on the floor, the girl continued to sway. The clear face of defiance stayed, showing that she was not going to follow Alex on everything he decided.

"No." She said firmly. "I-I. No I'm noooot going home. He's there." Monica took another step away from Alex before looking to the bartender behind the bar and waving her hand. "I want to drink. I-I don't wanna ta-lk to him."

Alex's arm shot out, not quite wrapping around Monica's waist but it was there to catch her if she wasn't able to keep her balance. He bit back a sigh when she started to argue with him, knowing first hand just how damn difficult it was to argue with a drunk person. It was damn near impossible and he was sure that Monica would prove to be the same.

He looked around for a moment before his attention turned back to Monica. "Fine. You can sleep the alcohol off at my place. I can sleep on the couch," he muttered, giving a onesided shrug. "Besides. You shouldn't have to go back to your apartment if that good for nothing bastard is there."